When transgender students experience harassment, they often leave college

More transgender females leave school due to harassment than transgender males

The National Center for Transgender Equality recently released its 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, marking the largest-ever survey of trans adults in the history of the nation.

The survey asked 27,715 transgender people about their experiences in all aspects of life—from mental health, to family life, to employment. Many of the findings held implications for college administrators.

Out of the survey respondents who attended college or vocational school, less than half (46%) said that members of their schools' community—including classmates, faculty, and staff—knew they were transgender.

Of this percentage who reported their school communities did know they were transgender, the survey found that nearly a quarter (24%) reported being verbally, physically, or sexually harassed.

By race, the percentage of students who reported they had been harassed were:

Out of these students who reported having experienced harassment, 16% reported having left college or vocational school on account of the harassment. Broken down by gender:

21% of transgender women who experienced harassment dropped out;

16% of transgender men who experienced harassment reported the same; and

12% of non-binary students who experienced harassment reported the same.

The survey also took into account respondents' current employment status.

Some respondents reported that they currently work in the underground economy, and these were among the most likely to report leaving college because of harassment. Nearly one third of respondents working in the underground economy say harassment pushed them from college.

Out of all respondents who had attended college or vocational school at some point, the survey found that 1% had been expelled or forced out of school, and 5% left school for other reasons that had to do with their transgender identities.

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